Monthly Archives: November 2011

Rev. David A. Miller: For those of us who don’t take the Bible literally, and struggle at times with institutional religion, is there not wisdom and beauty that we can incorporate in our lives that can be found in the Bible and other sacred texts?

This Generosity Sunday of 27 November raised $970.00 dollars for the Interfaith Shelter Network. The Interfaith Shelter Network is a collaborative effort by local congregations, human services agencies and government entities to provide shelter, services, and resources to homeless San Diegans throughout the region.

They represent the work of more than 100 San Diego County congregations and 3,500+ volunteers who link to offer hands up to people seeking an end to their homelessness. In our El Nido program, virtually all our families leave for their own permanent affordable housing, and the majority of mothers leave with increased income and additional career related skills.

Their Vision is to eliminate homelessness in the urban communities of San Diego County through a cooperative partnership with faith-based communities, related government programs, and social service agencies.

El Nido is where our contribution was sent.

El Nido (“the nest” in Spanish) is our transitional living program for homeless victims of domestic violence and their families. Located in central San Diego, in a confidential site for safety reasons, the project offers stability in housing while allowing the residents to offer emotional support to each other and less isolation during this stressful time in their lives. It also is respectful of residents’ autonomy and provides as close to a real-life scenario as possible.

Residents live in an 11-unit apartment complex for up to a year or more and, with the assistance of social workers, obtain the counseling, child care, employment, educational, and transportation services they need to become self-sufficient. Each of the units was beautifully furnished by a local congregation.

Rev. Jim Grant: The creative tension among Unitarian Universalists is a spectrum between independence and interdependence. That creativity is demonstrated in the third Principle of Unitarian Universalism: “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.” We encourage independence of thought within a “responsible search for truth and meaning” in our congregational (community) life.

Emrys Staton: As the call for social justice grows louder among UUs across the nation, the question is not whether if we should answer it, but how. Humanitarian activist Emrys Staton shares his stories and insights on the gray areas of justice work, and talks about how his UU faith helped him navigate the murky waters of justice work, especially as we prepare for the first ever Justice General Assembly in Phoenix next summer.

On October 15, 2011, nine members and friends of UUFSD marched in support of the Occupy San Diego movement. Members and friends marching in downtown Encinitas included Karen Freeman, John Gilles, Livia Walsh, Irv Himelblau, Dave and Deborah Ploesner, Angela Knappenberg, Ed Mlakar, and Bev Conner.

The Encinitas march was an adjunct to the march in downtown San Diego at which the Rev. David Miller and Ruth Gregory were present. Lisa Shaffer, Steve Bartram, Christie Turner and Laura Colban also participated in the ongoing Occupy demonstrations.

On October 24, Reverend David participated in leading an interfaith service in downtown San Diego outside the Civic Center for the Occupy San Diego protesters. You can find his sermons on the Occupy movement here and here.

And on October 31, the UUA released a statement on the Occupy protests, which can be read here.